I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I'm going to try to get back on a weekly update routine :) but it may be harder because I'm still in therapy...*sigh*

Credit goes to the wonderful Mirelle!

-Artemis-

If Artemis had to do mortal labor, at least she got to do it with Orion. They had been playing around, going back and forth and throwing trash at one another. The Principle looked on with a deadpanned expression, yelling at them to get back to work. Cas had disappeared, and it wasn't too long after that Artemis noticed her brother missing as well. She couldn't thank fate enough. Her brother was getting rather annoying, sulking over a mortal. Maybe they were finally talking it out. Artemis leaned forward, picking up an old, disgusting coke bottle.

"You really suck at cleaning," Orion observed. Artemis threw the bottle at him, and he laughed as it bounced off his shoulder.

"Not as bad as you do!"

Orion got a look on his face, and Artemis playfully backed away from him. Someone cleared their throat, and the Principle stood beside them, glaring at the pair.

"Where is your brother, Miss Foster? He seems to have disappeared with Miss Woodard."

"No idea, Principle Carter. Maybe they are just cleaning the other side of the park?"

Orion snorted, but he shut up as soon as the Principle gave him a pointed look. "I'm going to look for them, and if you are not still here and picking up trash by the time I get back, I promise you will be out of this school faster than you ever believed possible."

He marched off in the other direction, and Artemis and Orion fell into fits of laughter.

"Too bad we can't skip off this cleaning spree. I'd kill for a cup of coffee right now."

"And why can't we?"

"Because, my foster parents would kill me if I got kicked out of school. Plus, I have an archery competition next week that I have to dominate. I am the best archer ever, you know," he explained to her with a smirk on his face. Artemis rolled her eyes, and he just laughed. She would show him.

"I bet you your entire collection of cards that I could get out of detention," she boasted.

"You are insane," he scoffed. "I'm not making that bet."

"Fine," she retorted. "Then I bet you coffee tonight. Your treat after you get off work."

"You're on."

Artemis caught up to the Principle, putting on her best pleading face. She could hear Orion snort, but she was about to put him in his place.

"Principle Carter, would it be possible for me to head back to the school for just a minute. I left my book in my locker for studying over the weekend, and I know how important these classes are for our future academic careers" she added. She wasn't supposed to use her powers, but it was too much fun proving Orion wrong. The principle's eyes glazed over, the mist taking over in his mind.

"Of course, Miss Foster."

Artemis turned back to Orion, smirking as she gave him a playful wink. Orion shook his head in disbelief, his jaw slightly open.

"Good job, mortal. Now since, you are being such a good boy, why don't you tell Orion to get back to work?" The Principle turned around to Orion, a furious look on his face, but Artemis had a flash of inspiration. If she was going to use her godly powers, she could at least do her brother a tiny favor. Maybe this would get this little fetish he has done with for good. It was very Aphrodite of her, but her brother needed to realize that Cas was a lost cause. "I think you'll find my brother and Cassia in the brush over on the other side of the park. More detention for the pair of them sounds awfully good, doesn't it? Something that will make them get close and personal."

The Principle nodded his head, storming off towards Orion.

"See you at eight!" Artemis called as she threw him a playful wave. Principle Carter was already in front of him, yelling at him to start picking up trash again. Orion shot her a playful look, giving her a tiny bow.

Artemis skipped off, feeling freer than she had in a while. Things with Orion were absolutely perfect, and she was actually looking forward to him taking her out for coffee. They had been doing everything together, just like they use to. He may have not remembered her, but this reincarnation or whatever he was reminded her of the best of the Orion she knew.

She actually needed to go back to the school to get her bag and books out of her locker, so she began walking that way. She could've made it into her hands, but she wanted to revel in her victory while she walked. It was almost five, and all the teachers had gone home for the weekend. The parking lot was completely empty, so Artemis was surprised to see someone walking out of the school.

She was even more surprised at who it was. There was no way….

"Actaeon?"

The boy turned to look at her, and his eyes grew rather wide as he mouthed her name. He nervously bowed his head, running around the corner of the school. She ran to catch up to him; she had to know if it was him for certain. She rolled her eyes, tired of chasing him. Artemis closed her eyes, reappearing right in front of him. The boy who looked like Actaeon flinched back, and he didn't look at all surprised to see her standing in front of him.

"Actaeon!"

"Yes…I mean, what?... I'm…that's not me," he stuttered while taking a step back from her. Yep, this was the same stuttering, clumsy, in-way-over-his head boy she remembered. Disbelief and anger roared through her. She was a goddess for crying out loud, and she was supposed to know everything!

"For the love of Zeus! Doesn't anyone know how to stay dead anymore?" she snapped. How in the world did she miss two reincarnations from boys that use to be a part of her life?

"I…I don't…"Actaeon was trying to inch away, but she waved her hand and his feet froze in place. She couldn't take her eyes from him. He was dead! She was pretty sure she cursed him for being a nosy little brat. She realized that she had probably overreacted about the whole ordeal. It wasn't like he intended to see her naked, but no one saw her that way and lived to tell the tale. Artemis needed answers, and Actaeon was going to give them to her. It couldn't be just a coincidence. Her family acting all crazy, her and Apollo ending up at the same school that Orion was at…something was definitely going on. She walked up to him, sticking a finger in his face.

"Listen up, stag boy! You're going to explain to me how is it that you're alive again and you're going to explain it fast!"

"But-"

Artemis was tired of the excuses, from her family, from everyone. She could feel her eyes begin to glow, and she punched him in the arm. Not hard enough to break it of course, but hard enough that he would get the point.

"Okay, okay!" he whined as he held up his hand and began to rub his arm. "It was Hecate! She had this great two for one endless reincarnation deal."

"Go on," she ground out, rage filling her voice. She already knew who else did it with him. Orion and Actaeon were friends back before Orion died. Part of the reason she was so harsh on Actaeon was due to Orion's death. She was a mess and had a temper for years afterwards. Orion never told her though, and he had been acting strange those few days before he died…It made sense after all. She and Hecate were not on good terms, and Orion had been hinting at wanting to be an immortal. Maybe he did go behind her back.

"So Orion and I took her up on her offer, and me and Orion were all like 'sure lady, whatever!' It was a good deal! I mean, sure, every seventeen years we die horribly, but I'm like, who cares, right? I really like being a toddler, and this one time in the sixties I-"

Artemis froze, looking at Actaeon the same way she was sure she looked at him in the grotto that night. Her heart stopped beating, her mind went blank. All she saw in front of her was red.

"Wait! You remember your reincarnations?" she bellowed. Actaeon flinched back, fear evident in his eyes. This time, he didn't have to worry about her. He didn't lie to her.

"Yeah, I mean, that was part of the deal."

"The two of you remember everything? Every single life, including your original one?"

"Yes, my lady."

"That mother fu-" Artemis screamed. She punched the brick wall, and it took all she could not to blast everything to smithereens for miles. He knew! He knew the whole damned time, and he acted like he didn't! He'd always been a smooth liar, but she should have known better! She trusted him, and he lied to her! Artemis stormed around the corner, Actaeon's words following her.

"Ok, nice seeing you too. I don't really go to this school so… yeah, ok, I'll stop talking now," he sighed. She couldn't hear him muttering his apologies over the roaring in her ears. She felt herself flickering back and forth, and she didn't care if a mortal walking up on her. They could turn to freaking dust for all she cared.

She vanished without even knowing where she was going, until she ended up at the vet's office. She stormed around to the back, and the first thing she saw was a shirt lying on a picnic table. She looked around, and that's when she saw him. Orion had his shirt off, spraying out one of the kennels. The dogs that were out were cowering in the corner, as they should be. Animals were always more attuned to the god's temperaments than mortals were. Orion looked at them strangely, and he turned around, his face brightening for just a second before he noticed her expression.

"You know, it's only 5:30. You are a little early," he tried to joke. As distracting as he was shirtless, she wasn't about to let that get in her way.

"You lied to me."

His face went perfectly blank for a second, and then that sarcastic smile came back on his face. She wanted to beat him to a pulp. "Okay, so maybe I'm not the best Archer in the universe, but-"

"Orion, I know," she snapped. She walked over, snatching his arm so his forearm was facing up. The scar was showing, covered in tiny drops of water from the hose. He let go of the hose in his other hand, letting it fall to the ground. His eyes met hers, and she knew him well enough to see the fear in his eyes behind that careful mask. She ran her fingers along the scar, never looking away from him.

"Care to tell me where this scar came from, or are you just going to lie to me again?"

"Artemis, I-"

She made a dagger appear in her hand, and she pushed Orion against the fence and pressed the dagger against his throat. Even the dogs were whimpering.

"Your arrow, hunting the boar."

She backed away from him, the world tilting all around her. The roar was coming back, but she fought it down.

"So it's true. You remember everything."

"Who…who told you?" he questioned. His voice sounded so pained and desperate, but Artemis didn't care.

"It's doesn't matter who told me! You lied to ME! I should blast you into oblivion!"

"Artemis, let me explain," he pleaded with her. Artemis stepped away from him, shaking her head from side to side.

"This whole time you knew. All these years, you knew….and when you finally find me again, you lie to me about remembering!? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Artemis, I couldn't! I made a deal, and that-"

"A deal with who?" she yelled. She brushed her hair out of her face realization hitting her in the face. "Aphrodite. You made a deal with her!?" Orion sat down at the wooden picnic table, resting his head in his hands. "You better answer me, Orion, or so help me-

"I didn't have a choice. After the first hundred years or so, after I cooled off, I tried to find you, and they stopped me! The only way I could get close, to even have a chance was with Aphrodite's help! You of all people know the gods don't do anything for free. That's the price I had to pay, to act like I didn't know!"

"Wait," Artemis blurted. "Who stopped you?"

"Athena, Hermes, Hestia, all of them! They all knew I was still alive, and every time I got close, they interfered. I prayed, I went to the old temples, but you never came! I thought you had moved on, just like any other immortal! I didn't know they kept you from knowing! I gave up, and for a while I hated you! But none of that matters anymore!"

"None of it matters?" she quipped. "All of it matters! I had no idea you were even still alive! If I had know, I would've-"

"You would've what, Artemis?" he laughed as he set his hands on the table.

"I would have kicked your ass sooner!"

She lunged forward, sinking the dagger through his hand, just where his pointer finger met his palm, all the way through until it was stuck into the wood as well. He didn't have time to move out of the way, she was too quick. A scream of pain left him, and he looked up at her in disbelief.

"When you die again, don't bother trying to find me."

Artemis didn't wait for a reply, she couldn't care less. She disappeared back to her apartment and began carving a path through the den and kitchen.

She had never felt more conflicted and angrier. What would she have done? It's not like she could be with him. He was her best friend, and she cared more for him that she had ever cared for any man. She was…devastated… when he left. She was just so angry at him for lying to her. Everyone had lied to her, kept her in the dark. Even her brother knew about it!

Artemis sat on the couch, putting her head in her hands. She didn't really intend on cutting off his finger, and she was mad at herself for losing her temper yet again. Contrary to popular belief, most of the gods didn't enjoy the insane mood swings they underwent. A part of her realized what he was trying to say, but it didn't matter. A tiny voice in her head was screaming at her to forgive him, but it couldn't be heard over the rage. What he pulled was the epitome of dick moves. He could have told her, and she would have dealt with Aphrodite. She was a goddess after all, and perfectly capable of protecting him! It was his stupid pride, and Artemis didn't want to hear the reasons for why he did it. Right now, she couldn't stand to look at him, or any of her family for that matter.

They all lied to her. No wonder they didn't leave her alone for a single minute, why they made such a big deal out of her and Orion meeting. Now, she knew why they all came to school with her and her brother. Her very own brother had lied to her. Her whole family disgusted her, and she didn't remember being this furious with them in her whole entire existence.

They had embarrassed her for the last time. They thought so little of her that they decided to lie to her? To deliberately hide something from her, like she was an immature toddler? She was a goddess, and if they didn't trust her to know her limits, then maybe she didn't want to be a goddess anymore. Who gave a flying fuck what her father said? He probably knew as well, sent Athena to watch after her! She wanted to obliterate the world, and she had to get away from New York, from Olympus. She didn't care what her father would do to punish her. She was done with the lot of them. She grabbed a few of her things, and she didn't bother to leave a note.

Artemis knew exactly where to go, and not a single one of them would be able to find her.

So the next chapter will have Orion's POV, and will deal with the fallout from all of this. Plus, Cas's secret will partially come out.

I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned!

Leave a review to let me know what you are thinking. ;)